Schools tread thin line in war lessons

With unprecedented news coverage of the war in Iraq on nearly every

channel and antiwar protests and pro-war rallies on numerous street

corners, schools are faced with a difficult situation. When and how

should teachers and administrators talk to students about the war?

In Laguna Beach, the district has taken a stance of

“responsibility and objectivity” according to Asst. Supt. Steven

Keller. He said district administrators have confidence in their

teachers to engage in appropriate discussion of current events

without allowing public opinion to invade.

He said they would expect the issue to come up in history class,

but he doesn’t expect teachers to bring it up in math class. Most

importantly to district officials, it seems, teachers should not to

let their personal opinions color any discussion about the war.

This approach is even more essential when the inquisitive student

is in elementary school. Keller said they haven’t heard good or bad

response from parents regarding the teachers’ discussions of war, but

we can imagine some outrage if second-graders came home spouting pro-

or antiwar ideology to parents with opposing views.

We commend the district for attempting to keep the harsh realities

of war out of the everyday lives of young children. Teachers must be

aware of what their students may already know and alert parents to

worrisome activity in the school yard. Teachers can also not ignore

questions and concerns brought up by young children about the war.

But the respect for parents who may not want their children exposed

to the harsher realities of life at such a tender age is appreciated.

Once a child is in middle and high school, it is a different

matter, however.

Students are presumably reading the newspaper and watching the

news and will most likely be bombarded with information and images of

the war. Undoubtedly, they will need to talk about it.

Older students, especially at high school and certainly college

age, should learn about world events they are living through and the

history that preceded the war. They should be educated, and not just

by the media, about who the leaders involved are.

It’s a tricky subject on top of an already challenging job. We

salute the effort by teachers to educate while nurturing the soul.